IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,744,620
Granted Patent B2
US 12,744,620 · App. 18/793,395 · Granted Sep 22, 2026

Semiconductor device using multi-level signaling and coding method thereof

Inventors: Hyejeong So (Suwon-si, KR); Changkyu Seol (Suwon-si, KR); Myoungbo Kwak (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
H04L1/0057H04L25/4917
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,744,620
App. No.
18/793,395
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is a semiconductor device transmitting a multi-level signal including: an encoder encoding user data into encoded data; and a transmission driver converting the encoded data into a multi-level signal. The encoder includes: a bit adder generating a codeword by adding at least one shaping parity bit to the user data; an encoding operator generating candidate encoded data by performing an encoding operation on the codeword; a metric operator calculating metric values by using a metric operation equation for the candidate encoded data; and a metric searcher searching for the metric values to select the encoded data from the candidate encoded data and provide the selected encoded data to the transmission driver.

Claims (52)

1 . A semiconductor device comprising:

an encoder configured to encode user data into encoded data; and

a transmission driver configured to convert the encoded data into a multi-level signal,

wherein the encoder is configured to:

generate a plurality of codewords by adding a corresponding plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit to the user data;

generate a plurality of candidate encoded data by performing an encoding operation on the plurality of codewords;

calculate metric values based on the plurality of candidate encoded data using a metric operation equation; and

select the encoded data from the plurality of candidate encoded data based on the metric values, and provide the encoded data to the transmission driver.

2 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the encoder is configured to:

determine at least one location of the user data at which the plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit are to be added; and

add the plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit to the user data at the at least one location.

3 . The semiconductor device of claim 2 , wherein the encoder is configured to determine the at least one location based on channel information.

4 . The semiconductor device of claim 3 , wherein determining the at least one location comprises:

calculating, as the channel information, a channel probability value for each channel using a Bhattacharyya parameter, and

selecting, as the at least one location at which the plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit are to be added, a channel having a maximum or minimum value of the channel probability value.

5 . The semiconductor device of claim 4 , wherein adding the plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit to the user data comprises adding p bits of shaping parity bits to the user data to generate 2 p codewords as the plurality of codewords.

6 . The semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein performing the encoding operation comprises performing the encoding operation on the 2 p codewords to generate 2 p candidate encoded data as the plurality of candidate encoded data.

7 . The semiconductor device of claim 6 , wherein the encoding operation includes an operation using a polar code generator matrix, and

the polar code generator matrix is generated by repeating a Kronecker product operation of a kernel matrix.

8 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the encoder is configured to select the metric operation equation from a plurality of operation equations based on controlling a number of occurrences of a specific level, a specific transition, or a specific pattern.

9 . The semiconductor device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of operation equations comprise:

a first operation equation configured to generate fewer level transition 0s;

a second operation equation configured to generate fewer maximum level transitions; and

a third operation equation based on a combination of the first operation equation and the second operation equation.

10 . The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein selecting the encoded data from the plurality of candidate encoded data comprises selecting, as the encoded data, a candidate encoded data whose metric value is a maximum or minimum value.

11 . A semiconductor device comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a multi-level signal; and

a receiver configured to receive the multi-level signal,

wherein the transmitter is configured to:

generate a plurality of codewords by adding a corresponding plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit to user data,

generate a plurality of candidate encoded data by performing an encoding operation on the plurality of codewords,

calculate metric values based on the plurality of candidate encoded data using a metric operation equation,

select encoded data from the plurality of candidate encoded data based on the metric values, and

convert the encoded data into the multi-level signal, and

wherein the receiver is configured to restore the multi-level signal to the encoded data, decode a codeword corresponding to the encoded data from the encoded data, and restore the user data from the codeword.

12 . The semiconductor device of claim 11 , wherein the receiver comprises:

a decoding operator configured to decode the codeword by performing a decoding operation on the encoded data; and

a bit remover configured to restore the user data by removing the at least one shaping parity bit added to the codeword from a specified position of the codeword.

13 . The semiconductor device of claim 12 , wherein the decoding operation comprises a multiplication operation using a polar code generator matrix.

14 . The semiconductor device of claim 11 , wherein adding the plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit to the user data comprises adding p bits of shaping parity bits to the user data to generate 2 p codewords as the plurality of codewords.

15 . The semiconductor device of claim 11 , wherein the multi-level signal is modulated with 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4).

16 . A coding method for a semiconductor device supporting a multi-level signaling system, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of codewords by adding a plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit to user data;

generating a plurality of candidate encoded data by performing an encoding operation on the plurality of codewords;

calculating metric values based on the plurality of candidate encoded data using a metric operation equation; and

selecting encoded data from the plurality of candidate encoded data based on the metric values.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein adding the plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit comprises:

determining at least one location of the user data at which the plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit are to be added; and

adding the plurality of different sets of at least one shaping parity bit to the user data at the at least one location.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein generating the plurality of codewords comprises generating, as the plurality of codewords, 2 p codewords by adding p bits of shaping parity bits.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein performing the encoding operation comprises performing the encoding operation on the 2 p codewords to generate, as the plurality of candidate encoded data, 2 p candidate encoded data.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein calculating the metric values comprises calculating 2 p metric values corresponding to the 2 p candidate encoded data.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 5, 2024
From: SO, HYEJEONG; SEOL, CHANGKYU; KWAK, MYOUNGBO
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 068179/0417 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2024-0003852 · Jan 9, 2024 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250226917A1 · Jul 10, 2025
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